Why You Should Buy Your Steaks From Aldi, Not Costco

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While you won't find fancy displays, name brands, or even music playing at your local Aldi supermarket, the no-frills shopping experience is precisely what allows the company to offer quality groceries at budget-friendly price points. To that point, Aldi does not have a traditional deli counter or an on-site butcher — quite the contrast to Costco's seemingly always bustling (and well-staffed) meat department — but that doesn't mean that you can't pick up some excellent meat from the grocer. In fact, we'd say it's an even better option than Costco when it comes to buying steak.

For one thing, the meat prices at Aldi tend to be lower — and it's not just because the store is saving money on a butcher. As part of its cost-cutting, Aldi typically works with private label brands from regional suppliers. This practice saves the company money when it comes to transporting goods, but also gives shoppers the opportunity to purchase fresher, more locally sourced meats. Even better, those cuts are vacuum sealed to maintain peak freshness and extend their shelf life.

Compared to Costco, Aldi's steaks are also minimally processed. Costco uses blade tenderization on much of its beef selection, which some may see as an advantage. However, it can actually pose a health risk if it pushes harmful bacteria like E.coli deeper into the meat, which makes it harder to cook away. Just one more reason to prefer Aldi's low intervention approach.

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Now, we'll concede that Costco does offer a much wider selection of beef, as well as cuts that come in at a higher grade. While its big box competitor has plenty of USDA Prime steaks up for grabs, Aldi's meat department is more often limited to USDA Choice, a difference that's defined by a cut's degree of marbling. Nevertheless, you can still manage to nab some seriously delicious cuts for your buck.

Over on Reddit, you'll find a slew of meat eaters singing Aldi's praises, including a user who kicked off a thread on r/Aldi also raving about the strip steak: "I bought the two pack strip steaks on a whim today because I was craving steak and they looked well marbled. ... This was the most delicious steak I've ever made at home. Incredibly tender and flavorful." In another thread, one Redditor gushed over the grass-fed ribeye: "The marbling of the fat was perfect for our butter to [sear]. It was tasty and my picky eater husband really loved it!"

We've personally tasted and ranked the best steaks you can find at Aldi, and were left truly impressed by the savory strip steak, beautifully marbled rib-eye, and perfectly tender Black Angus skirt steak. In fact, if we could recommend any one steak to start out with from Aldi, we'd choose the skirt as our top pick, as it was both easy to prepare and offered a great value in terms of size and flavor. Sorry Costco, but Aldi wins out in the steak department.